How to get more business in tough times

Many people are looking to grow their business, and take on new clients… but it does require some investment to do this.

A great story to illustrate this, is the famous one about the hot dog seller:

“A Man lived by the side of the road…and sold hot dogs.

He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio. He had trouble with his eyes, so he had no newspaper. But he sold good hot dogs.

He put up a sign on the highway, telling how good they were. He stood by the side of the road and cried, “Buy a hot dog, mister!” And People bought.

He increased his meat and bun order, and he bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade. He got his son home from college to help him. But then something happened. His son said, “Father, haven’t you been listening to the radio? There’s a big Depression on. The international situation is terrible, and the domestic situation is even worse.”

Whereupon the father thought, “Well, my son has gone to college. He listens to the radio and reads the newspaper, so he ought to know.” So, the father cut down on the bun order, took down his advertising sign, and no longer bothered to stand on the highway to sell hot dogs.

His hot dog sales fell almost overnight. “You were right, son”, the father said to the boy. “We are certainly in the middle of a Great Depression.””

With the current business situation, now is an ideal opportunity to get ahead of your competition and bring in those new clients.

It’s one of the reasons I started a new networking group in Cobham – yes, it does require an investment of time and some money to network… but without this investment, the story above is most likely to be proven true.

If you would like to join other businesses that are looking to grow, please do join me – we meet on Tuesday mornings at the Cobham Hilton.

There are limited spaces, and as we have catering provided it is essential to reserve a place beforehand – just click the email icon in the page footer to contact me directly.

James McBrearty

James McBrearty specialises in making tax easy for the self-employed. He founded taxhelp.uk.com in 2006 and is also the author of 2 books for small business. In 2016 he launched an online business course that now has over 4,250 students in 130 countries around the world.

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Accountant in Surrey

I'm based in Cobham, Surrey. I specialise in helping the self-employed with their self-assessment tax returns and accounts. Whether you are just starting out, or are looking to grow your existing business, I can help. I have a range of fixed-fee packages so you know up front what the cost will be.

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Tax help for the self-employed

James McBrearty specialises in making tax easy for the self-employed. He founded taxhelp.uk.com in 2006 and is also the author of 2 books for small business. In 2016 he launched an online business course that now has over 4,250 students in 130 countries around the world. Read More…